Swamp dewberry
Encyclopedia
The Swamp Dewberry, Bristly Dewberry, Bristly Groundberry, Groundberry, Hispid Swamp Blackberry, Running Swamp Blackberry (Rubus hispidus) is a bramble
.
It reaches a height of from 0.2 m to 1 m tall and is in leaf all year. It grows in moist or sometimes dry soils, ditches, swales or open woods in eastern North America
, from Ontario
to the Maritime Provinces and south to South Carolina
.
This plant has small flowers with five white rounded petals. The fruit is a raspberry (an aggregate of drupelets), red or dark purple when ripe. The twigs are red and bristled.
A dull blue dye can be created from its berries. It also can be used as an astringent
. The berries are rather bitter for culinary use, and so this plant is generally not cultivated.
Rubus
Rubus is a large genus of flowering plants in the rose family, Rosaceae, subfamily Rosoideae. Raspberries, blackberries, and dewberries are common, widely distributed members of the genus. Most of these plants have woody stems with prickles like roses; spines, bristles, and gland-tipped hairs are...
.
It reaches a height of from 0.2 m to 1 m tall and is in leaf all year. It grows in moist or sometimes dry soils, ditches, swales or open woods in eastern North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
, from Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
to the Maritime Provinces and south to South Carolina
South Carolina
South Carolina is a state in the Deep South of the United States that borders Georgia to the south, North Carolina to the north, and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Originally part of the Province of Carolina, the Province of South Carolina was one of the 13 colonies that declared independence...
.
This plant has small flowers with five white rounded petals. The fruit is a raspberry (an aggregate of drupelets), red or dark purple when ripe. The twigs are red and bristled.
A dull blue dye can be created from its berries. It also can be used as an astringent
Astringent
An astringent substance is a chemical compound that tends to shrink or constrict body tissues, usually locally after topical medicinal application. The word "astringent" derives from Latin adstringere, meaning "to bind fast"...
. The berries are rather bitter for culinary use, and so this plant is generally not cultivated.